The art of Francis Bacon (1909–1992) epitomizes the angst at the heart of the modern human condition. His dramatic images of screaming figures and distorted anatomies are painted with a richly gestural technique, alluding to such Old Masters as Titian, Velázquez and Rembrandt. Displaying repressed and raw emotion, his body of work includes portraits of Lucian Freud and John Deakin.

Martin Hammer is the author of two important scholarly books on the artist, Bacon and Sutherland (2005) and Francis Bacon and Nazi Propaganda (2012). He also curated the exhibition ‘The Naked Portrait’ at the National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh in 2007. He is Professor of History and Philosophy of Art at the University of Kent.

"Satisfyingly hardback yet not too hefty. Tastefully simple, encased in a plastic cover to protect them from all those crayons and paints that you're sure to whip out in a frenzy of inspiration after browsing these pages. Each contains a trove of images of artwork and educational focus chapters on themes and techniques."—It's Nice That

"Eschewing the heavyweight doorstop format of many art books, these beautiful and compact Phaidon Focus artist monographs are small and slick, and refreshingly affordable... Designed by Julia Hasting, the Zurich-based design director at Phaidon Press, who manages to create a clean, fresh look that - as art book design should - put the artists' work centre stage... Coated in a translucent grey plastic with a clear window, the book's pared back approach continues with clean, black typography on a white background. Never cluttered, but resolutely in-depth, the series manages to condense some of the 20th century's most famous artists' work into small, but by no means diminutive introductions."—DesignWeek.co.uk

"Beautifully designed... The most iconic artists of the modern day... Bring you the essentials in a concise manner."—It's Nice That

"Phaidon are adept at packaging up key artists and movements in contemporary art, ensuring each generation has a familiar and forward-thinking way of immersing itself in visual culture. The newest tranche of introductory monographs is Phaidon Focus. [...] The Focus series is an extended primer, a handsome hardback designed to provide an in-depth overview of an artist's life, plus a more concentrated focus on key works from the artist's career to date."—Wallpaper.com

"Amazing... An essential addition to any art lover's collection."—Grazia

"Satisfyingly hardback yet not too hefty. Tastefully simple, encased in a plastic cover to protect them from all those crayons and paints that you're sure to whip out in a frenzy of inspiration after browsing these pages. Each contains a trove of images of artwork and educational focus chapters on themes and techniques."—It's Nice That

Phaidon is the premier global publisher of the creative arts with over 1,500 titles in print. We work with the world's most influential artists, chefs, writers and thinkers to produce innovative books on art, photography, design, architecture, fashion, food and travel, and illustrated books for children. Phaidon is headquartered in London and New York City.Read more